Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 54 of 88

ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
January/February 2018 StudentHousingBusiness.com
54
room, four-bath suites and they
were economical and very much
the same, with a nice pool area.
Today they are more like apart-
ment communities than dorm or
suite communities. There are more
small, micro-unit efficiencies and
one-bedroom apartments. The
overall size of units has shrunk,
but within them you'll find the
larger bathrooms preferred by the
increasingly female student popu-
lation; 60 percent of students are
women. The layout of the units
has changed too. There are more
terrace units with a patio for out-
door grilling and townhouse units
where you have four bedrooms
upstairs and a living room, bath-
room on the ground floor, for
instance.
Faulkner: We are still design-
ing a lot of four-bedroom, four-
bathroom units, which has been
the best economic model. We are
designing VIP floors and private
pools, townhome and penthouse
units, with some studios and
one-bedroom units. We also have
some projects with five- and six-
bedrooms units. Owners are try-
ing to capture the whole price
spectrum to continue to fill up
new product. This is still the top
10 percent of renters that can pay
— or parents who can pay, as I am
doing now at Ole Miss for my son,
Hunter, a first year Gen Z student.
He actually wants a house there
now versus a dorm or new stu-
dent place. I had two roommates
in a two-bedroom in Austin back
in the day.
Bartash: We've seen a symme-
try between the developer push
for compressed unit footprints to
maximize revenue while main-
taining the same level of student
experience with the Gen Z finan-
cial mentality. While they may be
more fiscally conservative, they
are also more realistic than their
generational predecessor. That
means they're less likely to be
looking for a bargain on the cost
per square foot of the apartment if
the amenity space can balance out
what they are looking for.
SHB: Maximizing flex space has
been at the forefront of the student
housing discussion the last few
year. Are you seeing new trends
here? What recommendations are
you making to clients?
Moltzan: Tech and social media
have enabled not only friends,
but also, hobbyists, and focused-
minded people to come together.
When people are happy with their
home and excited about their
environment they do the adver-
tising for you. Some small but
powerful spaces include a small
black box auditorium outfitted
with stage lighting, good speak-
ers, stage microphone, projector,
and other equipment, for speak-
ing events, performances, mov-
ies, etc.; a conference room with
tech; classrooms; and innovation
hubs or incubator hubs where stu-
dents can start businesses. Tech
systems have to be reliable. Noth-
ing is more damning than failed
technology.
Bartash: Flex space truly has been
a hot topic recently. With all the
intricate needs of the student
population, providing space with
multiple functional uses with
minimal physical change is criti-
cal. Spaces need to bridge the gap
between one-on-one study ses-
sions and large community meet-
ings without much more than the
shift of a chair. This correlates to
the incoming Gen Z mentality as
they are focused on individual-
ity and independence and look
to engage in spaces where they
can have a personal experience,
yet engage with the surrounding
community as much or as little as
they want.
Minozzi: Standard amenities such
as hospitality areas, study rooms
and game rooms were designed
specifically for each of these activ-
ities. Younger generations man-
age these activities differently,
choosing to study in a game room
or hospitality area instead of the
traditional study room or table
setting. In response to these new
behaviors we have to create spac-
es that provide for this flexibility
of use. Study rooms with lounge
space and sofas, game rooms that
are separated into micro lounge
areas or various game lounges.
Ecospan Composite Floor System
Nucor Vulcraft National Accounts
6230 Shiloh Road, Suite 140
Alpharetta, GA 30005
(678) 965-6667
888-375-9787
CERTIFIED
OUR VERSATILITY IS IDEAL
FOR ALL BUILDING TYPES.
Ecospan's Composite Floor System is an integration of
steel components with open web design for low, mid, and
high-rise structures. Using a unique configuration of
components with high strength-to-weight ratios, our
innovative system allows for longer spans, shallow floor
depths, greater rigidity and enhanced performance –
without sacrificing aesthetics.
With steel joists and steel decking produced from
recycled steel, Ecospan provides open web structural
components with a lighter weight composite design for
elevated floor construction.
www.ecospan-usa.com
Apartments
Student Housing
Office Buildings
Senior Living
Hospitality
MARY MOLTZAN
Principal,
Charlan Brock
Associates